UN Secretary-General Worries About the Situation on Lebanon

13 November 2017, New York, USA | South-South News — UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he is “very worried” about the situation in Lebanon and hoped that the Middle East will not see an escalation “that would have tragic consequences.”

Asked by reporters in New York today (10 Nov) about the situation in Lebanon and the fate of its Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Guterres said he has been in very intense contacts over the past two days at different political and diplomatic levels, namely Lebanese and Saudi, adding that the logic of his demarches has been “to preserve the unity, the stability of Lebanon, and the functioning of Lebanese institutions” adding that it is essential that no new conflict erupts in the region which could have “devastating consequences.” The Secretary-General said his talks have been “delicate” and would go on today.

On his participation in the Bonn climate conference, Guterres said he will be pressing for progress in five ambition action areas, including emissions, resilience, finance, partnership, and leadership. He said carbon pricing is an extremely important instrument that must be developed. The Secretary-General noted his convening of a Climate Summit next September, and called on world leaders to “show courage in combatting entrenched interests; wisdom in investing in the opportunities of the future; and compassion in caring [for] what kind of world we build for our children. “